Catherine Aulia remembers the moment she became a leader.

It was May 11, 2024, and the then-sophomore for Tennessee women’s tennis stood in the huddle. The 16-seed Lady Vols were facing a giant, a top-seeded and unbeaten Oklahoma State, and had dropped doubles to open the NCAA Super Regional match.

Tennessee head coach Alison Ojeda was, in Aulia’s words, “mad,” and called for one of her five seniors to give a message to set the tone before singles play. Yet none of her veterans spoke up.

Then, the young Aulia broke the silence.

“They didn’t say anything, so I was just like, ‘It’s OK, guys, we’ve got this,’” Aulia said.

It wasn’t anything profound, but Aulia’s optimism was key for the Lady Vols, who went on to upset the undefeated Cowgirls en route to a Final Four run. Aulia picked up a crucial singles win for her team, but she also learned something about herself.

“My sophomore year, I didn’t really feel like a leader or anything, but I knew I had to step into that role,” Aulia said. “But after that match, I was like ‘OK, maybe I can do this.’”

Fast forward two seasons and Aulia is a Lady Vols veteran. The Rosebery, Australia, native has grown into the leader she learned she could be on that court in Stillwater, and her leadership is essential if Tennessee wants to make a run this postseason.

Just like that 2024 run, Tennessee will be entering the postseason as underdogs. The Lady Vols will be heading to Durham, North Carolina, to begin NCAA Tournament play, facing Old Dominion on May 1. It’s the first time the Lady Vols were not selected as a top-16 seed and host site since 2022, and they will likely have to go through 15-seed and regional host Duke in order to reach their fourth consecutive NCAA Super Regional.

The Lady Vols faced a daunting SEC schedule this spring, and they were far from unscathed, ending the season at 8-7 in conference play. The seven defeats included 4-3 heartbreakers to Oklahoma and Vanderbilt at home, and a flat performance against an inferior South Carolina on the road.

The Lady Vols also stacked impressive wins against top-10 teams like Texas, Virginia and LSU, but they aren’t dwelling on those results, focused only on what’s ahead.

“We’ve known the whole season how good we are and the potential that we have to be one of the best teams in the country,” Aulia said. “I think we are, but obviously we’ve had some tough losses. So I think this is a really good opportunity for us to flip the switch and see where the tournament takes us.”

Another senior, Leyla Britez Risso, is a big reason to believe the Lady Vols can flip the switch. The Asuncion, Paraguay, native has been ultra-consistent all season long, finishing with a 16-2 record in singles and earning second team All-SEC honors.

“The last few years, I’ve just found this place where I’m confident in myself,” Britez Risso said. “Every time I step on the court, I love to problem-solve. Even if things are not going well, I really enjoy being in the moment and trying to figure things out just to win.”

Britez Risso emphasizes deliberate practice as a key to her success.

“I’ve always worked hard and knew that I have to practice well,” Britez Risso said. “But coach Ojeda really got me understanding that, if you do things well in practice, that’s what’s going to work in a match.”

Tennessee was eliminated from the SEC Tournament when Britez Risso dropped just her second singles match of the season against LSU’s Kayla Cross, a three-set battle on Court 2. Coming so close against an LSU team that went on to defeat Oklahoma and Georgia and was a third-set tiebreak away from winning the SEC Championship just inspires Britez Risso to keep working.

“Watching back the match, I think I was really close,” Britez Risso said. “Thinking that we were right there, it makes me feel good, but at the same time, it makes me want to be eager just to work harder and be better next time.”

Britez Risso has grown from a player who barely saw the court during her freshman year to the most consistent winner for the Lady Vols. She credits Ojeda with bringing out the best in her.

“Discipline, responsibility and being accountable with myself and my teammates,” Britez Risso said. “Coming here, I wanted to win in a certain type of way, but (Ojeda) has taught me that that’s not the only right way to win, and that I can be disciplined — I can be responsible.”

Ojeda’s belief in Britez Risso is as firm as ever after developing her for four years.

“They were over at the house for dinner, and her dad asked me, ‘How good do you think she can be?’” Ojeda said. “And the question is, honestly, right now, how good does she want to be? Because she just fights for every point, and so she’s going to be in every single match.”

Aulia has brought leadership, Britez Risso has provided consistency, but the Lady Vols’ energy comes from their third senior, Vanesa Suarez.

Ever since she won a third-set tiebreak against Clemson to send Tennessee to the ITA Indoor Championships, Suarez has shown all season long that she loves comebacks and high-pressure moments. She also loves to be a sparkplug for her teammates and cheer them on even when she’s struggling.

“You’re not always going to win your matches, so at least you have to contribute to your team in some way,” Suarez said. “And for me, I like to be loud and give them energy. You never know what’s going to happen if you cheer for them for one point and then they are like, ‘OK, I can win this and turn it around.’ The biggest thing for me is just to make them feel that I’m there.”

Since transferring to Tennessee, Suarez has proven that she can fight through the ugly parts of a match when things aren’t going her way. But that wasn’t always the case. It took Ojeda to bring that out of Suarez after she joined the Lady Vols from Kansas State as a junior.

“On the court, I think I have grown a lot,” Suarez said. “(Ojeda) has taught me so many things, like how to play smart tennis. Because before, I just liked to play pretty, but it wasn’t always pretty, so she taught me how to play when it’s ugly and figure out some ways to win.”

Suarez has also learned that she can be an encouraging voice for her team.

“This team has taught me how to use my voice to help others,” Suarez said. “It just gave me so many good friendships and relationships, so I just love this place.”

Statistically, Aulia and Suarez haven’t had ideal seasons. Suarez has lost five singles results in a row. Aulia was just 2-6 at the Court 4 position after a 9-9 record at Court 2 last year, and many matches she was on track to win went unfinished.

Both seniors recognize the rise of competition in college tennis, but they’re also honest about how tough it’s been.

“It’s very hard to accept losing,” Aulia said. “I mean, none of us want to lose. Everyone goes through periods where they struggle, you know? So definitely just finding a way through that proves to me that I can do it and I’m strong enough to keep moving forward.”

There is one result that both seniors can look to: a road win against top-10 Texas on March 22. While Britez Risso suffered her only regular-season loss that day, Suarez and Aulia both took three-set wins to help snap the Lady Vols’ three-match losing streak.

Suarez’s result was especially impressive. Her opponent in that match, Anastasia Abbagnato, now sits at No. 6 in the ITA singles rankings. But Suarez says she’s not fixated on that win, or the tough losses that followed.

“I think I’m just looking forward,” Suarez said. “I know if I’m focused and giving my all at every moment, I can do great stuff.”

Aulia found a way to clinch the match after dropping her first set 6-1.

“Honestly, it was big for me in that moment,” Aulia said. “Even though I didn’t feel like I was playing my best, I was still able to find a way to win. So it’s good to think about that match and see the moment, but, like (Suarez) said, we’re trying to stay focused on what’s in front of us.”

Now, what’s in front of the Lady Vols is the NCAA tournament. Ojeda has led her team to a Final Four and Elite Eight in back-to-back seasons based on a philosophy of hitting another level in May.

That philosophy will be tested again in the coming weeks.

“At this point, we’ve got to become relentlessly stubborn competitors,” Ojeda said. “When something’s not going our way, now’s the time to be gritty and figure out another way to win the match.”

Amid a season where things didn’t always break the Lady Vols’ way, all three seniors trust that Tennessee will be at its best at the right time.

“We work hard, we are prepared,” Suarez said. “We know what we’ve been through, each of us, and we’ve been there for each other, so we care so much. I think that’s just going to carry on during the tournament. We know we have a really, really good team, and we’re going to give our best at every point, so whatever happens, we just know we’re going to give it all.”

Suarez says she is “more motivated than ever” because it’s her senior year. Aulia and Britez Risso echo the sentiment.

“I want to play with this team as long as I possibly can,” Aulia said. “I love all of them so much, and I love competing next to them and practicing with them, just having fun and seeing their faces every day. So I think, however long we can keep this going, we will.”

Leadership, consistency, energy. That’s what Aulia, Britez Risso and Suarez bring to the Lady Vols. And they’re ready to do it again when it matters most, in the NCAA tournament.

“For me, this is why we play,” Aulia said.